8 Big Questions About HUGE NBC Peacock/WWE Network Deal

6. Will This Eventually Remove The Raw & SmackDown Delay?

Vince McMahon
WWE

Thanks to deals in place with USA Network and Fox, WWE currently presents episodes of Raw and SmackDown on a three-week delay.

Could the Peacock purchase foreshadow a gradual move to digital taking precedence over cable? Obviously not at present thanks to the eye-watering sums WWE pockets for the broadcasting rights, but now that Raw's being streamed on something that also makes money for NBCU, could it be rush-released onto the platform within hours of airing? The same question could be posed of SmackDown in the timeline where it moves back to USA. WWE could also pitch a rather warped version of the Wednesday Night War by streaming NXT live on Peacock head-to-head with Dynamite even if the aforementioned USA Network deal isn't removed.

Imagine the viewership tweets when AEW's healthy six figures are dwarfed by "24,000,000 subscribers, PAL". WWE have made a lot of money being held up as the sort of cable offering that still draws in viewers in an era of cord-cutting. If they're starting to milk it dry, engaging more with Peacock's base seems like a natural next step.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett